Forgotten plane crash site found in Wet Tropics

The lost wreckage of a plane that crashed into rugged terrain northwest of Mt Molloy half a century ago has been uncovered by the brothers of a deceased passeng­­­er.

The Bush Pilot Cessna 172 was carrying two passengers and a pilot when it crashed near Mt Fraser, about 150 kilometres from Cairns, in July 1967.

At the time, around a dozen aircraft, alongside community members, police and the army conducted an ‘intensive search’ to find the plane but failed.

The single-engine aircraft was eventually discovered by a forestry ranger near Mt Fraser in August 1968 but accurate records of its location were never kept.

In the lead up to the crash’s 50th anniversary, family members of Michael Daley, a trainee station manager who died in the accident, reached out to the Wet Tropics Management Authority for help locating the plane.

Since then historical records, newspaper clippings, maps, old photographs and family notebooks have been used to pinpoint the forgotten fuselage’s precise location.

Quicklinks

eNews Signup

Keep up to date with the latest news, issues and research in the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area with our Wet Tropics eNews.

Our mission is to lead, inspire, advise and support the Australian and global community to protect and share the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area in perpetuity.

We acknowledge Rainforest Aboriginal people as the traditional custodians of the Wet Tropics and recognise their connection to this cultural landscape. We pay our respect to Elders past, present and future.